Stamping, marking, or numbering machine.



F. W. MERRICK. STAMPING, MARKING, OR NUMBEEING MACHINE. APPLIGATIOII FILED JULY 20, 1908.

Patented Feb. 21, 1911 I hi .31 .III

1 5 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK MEItRICK, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR T POWER NUHBERING MACHINE COMPANY, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS -A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

iliiiSStlilHlfi'LilS, have invented a certain new.

and useful Imprm'enient in Stam 'iing,

' the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

M present improvements in stamping, marking, or numbering machines have re'fereliee to the printing-heads thereof, and are designed primarily for application to machines for marking parts of shoes, and cartons for containing shoes, although not neeessarily restricted in this respect.

' The invention consists in devices of novel character which, in addition to being ar-' ranged to cause a halt-size or other special character to print or not, as required, are provided with a plurality of half-size or other special characters of different kinds, 4 and are constructed to enable any one thereof to be fllltltl into service at will. The said' deviceshave combined therewith means whereby, at the same time that the. half-size or other special character in use is moved from its position for printing into a posiand the size-wheel, the lower portion of thehalf-sise wheel being broken away. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the parts of Fig. Fig. 4 shows the half-size lever in side elevation separately. Fig. 5 is u siue elevation of the -n:ovahle dog which connected with the half-size lever for the actuation of the halfsize wheel. Fig. 6 is a plan of the said do Fig. 7 is a development in a plane of the periphery of the half-size wheel. Fi 8 shows the size-wheel in side elevation. ig.-

fl i an edge-view of the size-wheel. Having reference to the drew1ngs,at 1, Fig. 1, 1s the frame or housing of a print- Specificatton of Letters Patent.

-!1'l{ll!;I, or Numbering Machines, of which STAMPING, MARKING, 'OR NUMEERING MACHINE.

Patented Feb. 21, 19.11.

Application filed July 20, 1903.. $eria1 no. 444,339.

ins-head. and at 2 is portion of the can rier to which the printing-head'is attached by screws 3, 3, and by means of which the n'inting-head is supported and operated.

Within the printing-head a setof printinerwheels 4, 5, 6. 7, 8 and 9 is arranged. The grou p of wheels 4 is adapted to be employed in printing the case number of a lot of shoes, the wheel 5 may be used for printing names or the like, and the remaining wheels is he used for printing sizes and widths. The respective wheels are individually settable to bring the printingchnraetcrs there of to the printing line desired. The Airticular provisions for setting the same are not essential to the invention, save in the ease of the half-size wheel 7 and size-wheel 8. Various methods of setting printingwheels in stamping. marking, and numbering machines are known in practice. It; therefore is unnecessary to show or describe such provisions. although reference may be made to the latch or detent-levers 12, 12, etc., Fig. 1, which are arranged to engage by their lower ends between projecting per tionsat the peripheries of the respective.

wheels, so as to hold the wheels from turning movement until pressure applied to the upper end of a given lever diseugages its lower end from the correspondingwhee permitting the latter to be turned- The printing characters with which the half-size wheel 7 is furnished comprise a 5 at a, an 0 at b, a dash at c, and'a 1/2 at d. This variety includes the differ-exit half-size characters which are at present. in general use, and provides me with-the means of marking in accordance with any of the prevailing modes. In practice. the said wheel may be furnished with any other special characters which may be required. 'Like the other wheel. the said whecl 7 is provided as usual with index characters as at a. I). c, d, in depressions between its raised portions. to assist in setting the wheel by showing when the desired character has been given the position for printing.

For the purpose of operating the hazfsize wheel 7 to shift the selected character into and out of its printing position. a iever or handle 13 is provided. This lever or handle is shown applied to the printing- 1183! in Fig. 1. It also shown inoperative i'exations with the half-size wheel 7 and the size-wheel-S in Figs. 2 and 3, and separarately in Fig. 4. To enable it to be mounted upon the same support as wheels 7 and it is provided with a hub portion formed with a circular opening 13 which surrounds such support. This titted between the said wheels 7 and 8, and adapted to be swung around the support. To cause the half-size wheel 7 to accompany the lover or handle n the movements of the latter, a dog 14 is pro vi.;ied. This dog is shown connected with the lever or handle in Figs. 1, 9, 3 and 4, and separately in Figs. 5 and 6. It has a portion that is shaped to enter between two iii the time-projections at the periphery voi" :Ea: halt-size wheel, and engage with such projections. Through such engagement thewiicel is locked to the lever or handle and compelled to turn in unison therewith lIl whichever direction the lever or handle may e swung. Thus, when the lover or handle is swung upward and rearward, the character on wheel 7 which is properly disposed for use will be moved into position to print. .Yheu it is swung forward and downward, the. said character will be moved away from working position and will not print.

has been indicated herein, the wheel 7 furnished with a variety of printing characters, and an important aim of the invention is to enable any one of such characters to laomployed in printing. at will. To permit the change from one character to another to be effected, I make provision for disengagement of the 'dog and wheel from each other so as to leave the wheel capable 1 of being turned independently of the lever I in or handle. Thus, in the illustrated embodiment of the invention, the dog secured in place upon the lever or handle by means of a clamping screw 15. The head of this screw s located at one side of the body of the lever or handle and the dog is at the other side, and the stem of the screw passes through a slot 16 in the said body extending outwardly from the wheel 7. This slot is intended to provide for movement of the stem of the screw in and out within the same. Vhen the dog is engaged with the wheel the stem of the screw occupies a position inwardly within the slot. and being tightened serves to clamp the dog in the position occupied by I it in Figs. 2 and at. When the screw is loosened. the dog may be moved outward and disengaged from the wheel. After such (llS' engagement the wheel-and lever or handle may be shifted relative to each other to place i them in proper relation to l ring the desired c'i-iracter into ser ice. Then the dog and wheel are rengaged so as to lock them together again for movement in unison, the dog is clamped in place, and the half-size marker is in readiness for operation with the new ClULIZlClGIa The latter may then be thrown or shifted into or out of Working position by simply swinging the lcver'orhandlo in the manner which has been explained.

. I am. enabled to employ either the 1/63 or the 5, or the dash, for the halfsi7.e mark, according to the method of marking that it is desired to follow, and the0 or any other special character with which the wheel 7 may beprovided may he used when rcqnired. My invention renders it unnece sary to dismantle and disassemlfe the. pr minghead and wheels. in order to replace one half-size printing device by another to enable a different mode of marking to be i'oh lowed, as is required in the ease of machines heretofore in use.

The extent of the swinging ]l1(!. '(2'!ll-"}ii' of the half-size lover or handle in either direction is fixed by engagement of the stop-surfaces 17, 18. of such lawn or handle with the transversely-extendinp; rod 1!) on which the detentlovers 1?, 12, etc, are pivotally mounted. The said stop-surfacesare con tituted by the end-walls of a cu ved slot in he lever or handle 13 which accommodates the said rod. The said slot, and a corresprmdiug slot 20 in the dog 14, are open-topped to enable the lever or handle and dog to be applied to the rod or removed therefrom without it being necessary to withdraw the rod from its position in the housing or frame of the printing-head.

In cutting-out and stamping or marking the parts fora case of shoes. it is customary in the art to work through the sizes consecutively, as 2, 52;. 3, 3.1-, 4, 41-. and so on. A biter marking for a 2.} shoe, or other half-si7.e, the half-size printing character is thrown out of working position and the 2 is replaced by a 3, and so on. My invention includes means for shifting the size-wheel 8 by the salne'aetion that places the half-size character out of working position, enabling me to change from 2-} to 3. or the like, without a separately effected hand-adjustment of the size-wheel. This means is shown in Figs.

half-size lever or handle, in being returned by hand to its normal position for the purpose of placing the half-size character out of printing position, to automatically actuate the size-wheel to advance the latter from one character thereof to the next- Such means comprises a dog or pawl carried bv one f the said parts, and a series of teeth or the equivalent thereof provided in connection with the other. In the drawings the dog or pawl is shown at 21, it being constituted of a spring piece occupying an anand projects toward the lever-or. handle.

' from the side of wheel 8 as in Figcfi. The

2, 4, S and 9. Itis contrived to cause the.

nular groove in the side of wheel 8 next the Such end is adapted to project laterally bodvof the lever or handle has formed ther in a circular series of holes 23, 23, "etc.

a plurality of printing characters. an operatconstituting the equivalentot a series of teeth. The beat end of the dog will fly into any one of such holes which may be located in position to receive it, as in Fi 2. W'hen 'the lever or handle is turned in placing the acting half-size character in working position, the movement is in the same direction as the spring piece extends, and consequently the end of the spring piece merely is pressed back laterallyint'o the groove. of wheel 8 as the edge of the hole is carried past such end the lever or handle turning without communicating, any movementto the wheel 8. As the lever or handle comes to rest the next hole in its body is presented to the end of the dog, which presses into the same. When, now,.the lever or handle is NW6d in the reverse direction, to carry the half-size character away from its working position, the edge of the latter hole engages with the end of the spring piece so as to compel the wheel 8 to partake of such move ment of the lever or handle.- The temporary clutching of the lever or handle of the half-size marker, and the size-wheel 8, while the former is being operated to move the halfisize character away from. its printing position, shifts" or sets the size-whcelso as to present the next higher printing character thereon in position for printing. The. whwl 5 is provided with trade-plates 5",

ters. such as names or terms employed in the art in connection with shoes.

9.6, 26, are portions of a holder for a relatively fixed name-plate such as sometimes is employed to print in connection yvith wheels such as those marked l to 9, as above.

i What is claimed as the invention is:--

1. In a' stamping, marking. or numbering machine, in combination, a series of settable 'typecarriers,detent-levers therefor, a supporting-rod on which said detent-levers are mounted, a settahle type-carrier bearing a plurality of printing characters, a shifting lever having a slot, which receives the said supporting-rod, engagement of the endwalls of such slot with the supporting-rod limiting the extent of the strokes of the said lever, a dog movably connected with said lever for connecting said type-carrier adjustably with the lever to place the said characters interchangeably in printing relations, movement of the lever operating the type-carrier to shift the character hich has been adjusted into printing relations alter- 0 nately into and out of action as required.

2. Iii-combination, a sctt-ablc type-carrier having. peripheral lyp pl'( ]t3t:llmlbttllllllg ing lever. and means locking the said typecarrie'r adjustably to the said lever by enenable the required character to be brought into position for action, movement of said lever in opposite directions operating to shift such character reversibly into and out oi" action to print, as required.

3. In con'ibination, a settable type-carrier having peripheral type-projections bearing a plurality of printing characters, a swinging shiftingdevice, and a dog which by engagement between two adjacent t vpe-pro-' jections locks the said type-carrier adjustably'to the said device. enabling the required one of such characters to be brought into position for act-ion, swinging movement of the said device in opposite directions placing the selected character reversibly inand out. of action to print.

4. In combination, 'an oscillating halfsize marker, a type-wheel bearing a series of printing characters, and means by which through each movement of the half-size marker in one direction the type-wheelis advanced to present a fresh character in position to print. such means leaving the typewheel at rest during the movement of the retracting movement. of the said half-size marker to ad 'ancethe type-wheel to present a fresh character in position to print.

6. in combination, an oscillating halfsize marker, :1 type-wheel, one of said elements having a series of teeth, and a dog which is ope 'ated by the other of said elements and engages the teeth successively to advance the typeovheel by steps.

7. In a machine of the class described. the combination with a printing-head, and a plurality of individually settable typedisks carried by the printing-head, of an additional type-disk also carried by the printing-head and havinga half-size character thereon, an actuator for said latter type-disk having provision to move said latter type-disk in both directions and one of the first m ntioned type-disks in one direction only.

S. in a machine of the class described, the combination with a printing-head. a plurality of individually settable type-disl s carried by said priming-head, certain of said type-disks having type thereon to print a 'whole number indicating the size of theshoe and another of said disks having a plurality of difi'ercnt characters thereon each of which indicates the. half size. and an actuator for said type-disk havin; movement to move the type-disk to carry the half'size character into and out of operative position, said cent type-wheel, and a dog operating in theeach nearing appropriate printing characdisk being adjustable. relative to the actuator to bring either one of the halt size charmm into operative position.

9. A printing niaeliine comprising a printing head having a plurality of type- (ilFhIS, certain of which are vilaptwl to print the whole number. and one of which has eharaeters for printing a half number. an 03'- cillatr. y actuator fm' the latter type-disk to carry the half number character into and' out of printing pmitiou. ainl means to aetnatc an adjoining typwgnak having nnit digits thereon In movement of saiil aetnator in one (lireetion while permitting the no tnator to more in the other (lirertion without moving said r pe-disk.

10. A printing! machine roinprining a printing head having a plurality of typectisks, Certain of which are adapted to print the whole nnmher, and one of whiehlias 5 charm-tors for printin g a half number, an

a tnator for the. latter type-disk to carry the half nnnilier eliaraeter into and out of printing pmiiion, and means to actuate an rfi lltitii to aetnate an adjoining t pe-(lisk having unit. (ligifs theremiin one direction only.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in presence of two witneaws.

v FRANK \V. MERRICK. Witnesses:

CHAS. l. RANDALL, Enrrn J. Annnnsox. 

